Ashongman Community Hospital denies refusing blood to donor

The management of The Community Hospital (TCH) at Ashongman Estates in Accra, has denied reports suggesting it turned down a blood request from the Ghana Atomic Energy Commission (GAEC) Hosptial for a patient in critical condition.

The father of a 21-year-old level 300 student at the Catholic University, Adolf Lawson was given a letter by GAEC Hospital to obtain blood but it was not given to him.

Being a blood donor himself, Mr Lawson went to the Amasaman Government Hospital to get blood but he was also not given. He was later to get the quantity needed for his daughter – 3 pints, from the Achimota Government Hospital.

He was met with the tragic news when he got to the GAEC Hospital with the blood. He was told his daughter was dead.

But in a brief statement signed by TCH Assistant General Manager, Storms Wells and copied to Myjoyonline.com Monday, the Hospital said it was helpless in the situation because it only had a limited number of the body fluid which had already been processed for patients who were being operated at the theatre.

The Community Group of Hospitals operates and manages The Community Hospital in Ashongman Estates and the Kaneshie Medical Centre all in Accra, as well as The Community Hospital in Oda and Kukurantumi in the Eastern Region.

Read the full statement below:

WaALK-IN REQUEST FOR BLOOD

On the 22nd of July 2017, a gentleman approached our Laboratory with a request from the Ghana Atomic Energy Commission Hospital for three pints of blood.

He presented a Blood Donor Certificate to justify why the request must be prioritised Unfortunately for us we had only a few pints of blood already cross-matched for Theatre patients.

He was therefore directed to go to either the Government Hospitals at Amasaman or Achimota or Korle-Bu Teaching Hospital.

There was no mention of money in the conversation and it, therefore, came as a surprise to learn in the media that the hospital had turned away the gentleman on account of his inability to raise funds.

We express our condolences to the bereaved family but would like to emphasise the fact that we were helpless to the situation.